Referring to Patent Reference 1, for example, a conventional, manual card processing device is disclosed, in which data recorded on a card is processed while a user operates the card by hand (hereinafter called conventional technology 1). The card processing device of the conventional technology 1 is a dip-type card reader that reproduces data when a card is inserted therein or the card is removed therefrom. A card processing device like the card reader of the conventional technology 1 may be used in an arcade or casino and configured to give points according to the duration of a game-playing session or manages a game-playing session while the player's card is being inserted therein. In such a case, it is necessary to prevent a player from forgetting to remove the card from the card processing device or prevent the card from being stolen.
Patent Reference 2 discloses a conventional card processing device equipped with two sensors to detect the insertion of a card, which are a front sensor arranged on the entrance side of a card travel path and a rear sensor arranged on the far side of the card travel path (hereinafter, conventional technology 2). The card processing device of the conventional technology 2 is also equipped with a timer unit which, when monitoring the removal of the inserted card, measures prescribed time from the time when the card is no longer detected by the rear sensor and the card has passed the rear sensor. Monitoring the removal of the inserted card, the card processing device of the conventional technology 2 anticipates “card removal” when the card cannot be detected by the rear sensor any longer, starts the timer for measuring the prescribed time once the card has left the rear sensor, and handles the situation in which the card removal is suspended in the middle of the device if the card is not detected by the front sensor within the given time.    [Patent reference 1] International Publication 2008/149529    [Patent reference 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application 2004-342086 Publication
The card processing device of the conventional technology 1 or 2 is configured such that, while monitoring the removal of a card, it anticipates the card passing by the rear sensor, and upon detection of the card passing, anticipates the card passing by the front sensor. Therefore, unless the rear sensor confirms that the card has passed by, the removal of the card cannot be judged. For this reason, when a light-shielding object is forced into the card processing device together with the card by a fraudulent player, the light-shielding object may stay inside and is detected by the rear sensor, making it difficult to detect the removal of the card. As a result, the card removal judgement itself cannot be done.